Author: Olivia

About eighteen months ago, my dear friend and collaborator Olive mentioned a want of soup in the middle of the night. We then had a riveting conversation about the virtues of the world's soups and decided: Hey! Why not rank them all for The Niche, where we can make our voices heard re:soup? But the … Continue reading The Olives Rank Soup: Abridged Edition

If Bernadette Peters were my mother-in-law, I would finally break down the barriers in place which currently prevent me from wholly indulging in a mani-pedi. If Bernadette Peters were my mother-in-law, I would buy hot rollers. I would never use them, because I would know I could not handle the inevitable comparison to her. If … Continue reading If Bernadette Peters Were My Mother-In-Law

When April with his showers sweet with fruit The drought of March has pierced unto the root And bathed each vein with liquor that has power To generate therein and sire the flower; When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath, Quickened again, in every holt and heath, The tender shoots and buds, and the … Continue reading Best- and Worst-Dressed: Ellesmere Chaucer Edition

So, I have no idea what I watched when I first wrote to you about Doctor Richter (Russia’s direct remake of House MD), but it definitely wasn’t the actual show. Today, I was blessed enough to find the first few episodes uploaded to youtube. I'd love to stop talking about it and let Russia-1 go … Continue reading Allow Me to Clarify: a Доктор Рихтер Update

You know, it's been a great while since a 1 A.M. mood of mine actually arose at 1 A.M. Today, though, the stars have flung themselves out of alignment to project chaos and je ne sais quoi into my life. Here's how that chaos has manifested itself tonight: Just a list of every "Going to … Continue reading What We’re Reading at 1 A.M.

When I heard Россия-1 was adapting House MD, my primary question was simple: why? Who watched House– colloquially known as Hate Crimes MD– and decided that more people needed to experience it? Using my extremely limited knowledge of Russian and world-renowned video website “youtube,” I decided to get all the answers for myself. I left the only … Continue reading With Regards to “Доктор Рихтер,” Russia’s Direct Remake of “House MD”

You’ve all heard of the Turing Test– the test of a machine’s ability to imitate human behavior. A machine that passes the test can generate responses indistinguishable from those of a human. Here I present to you a similar concept with a slightly different execution: the Margery Kempe Test. This short little quiz will analyze … Continue reading Are You Qualified for Sainthood?: The Margery Kempe Test

"It has been my privilege to see the very best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls." ––Stevens We all know The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro as a poignant narrative about a butler's grief and identity crisis in post-WWII Britain. But for what it's worth, the theme of talking about your … Continue reading The Remains of the Day and Gay English Butler Vibes